Pivoting Panel Assembly for Flat Cargo Floor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle cargo areas often have uneven or inconsistent floors due to smaller vehicle sizes and the presence of components like batteries or fuel cells, making it difficult to support items on a flat surface when the rear seats are collapsed.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle load floor assembly that includes a seatback pivotable to a stowed position, with a panel assembly pivotally coupled to the seatback, which deploys to create a support surface extending to the cargo floor, ensuring a flat and stable surface for cargo transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the rear row of seats is collapsed to expand cargo area, then cargo area volume is increased, but the cargo floor becomes uneven and unfit for supporting items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by implementing a load floor assembly that can change its configuration between different states. The assembly includes panels that can pivot between a stowed position (when seats are upright) and a deployed position (when seats are collapsed), dynamically adapting the cargo floor surface to maintain flatness regardless of seat position.
Solution Approach 2:
The load floor assembly is segmented into multiple panels (first panel, second panel, third panel) that can independently pivot and adjust. This segmentation allows each panel to be positioned to compensate for the uneven surface created by collapsed seats, collectively forming a flat supporting surface across the cargo area.
2Volume of moving object
If vehicle size is reduced or additional components are added, then vehicle compactness is improved, but cargo floor becomes uneven with raised portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing load floor assemblies at specific locations where unevenness occurs (such as near elevated portions caused by batteries or fuel cells). The panels can be selectively positioned to address local surface irregularities without requiring modification of the entire vehicle structure, thereby maintaining overall vehicle compactness while locally correcting floor flatness issues.
3Ease of operation
If panel assembly is deployed to create flat support surface, then cargo support capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the load floor assembly with the existing seat structure by pivotally coupling the assembly to the seatback. This integration allows the load floor to utilize the seatback's movement (between upright and collapsed positions) to automatically trigger the deployment or stowing of the panels, thereby improving cargo support capability while minimizing the need for separate control mechanisms and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle load floor assembly includes a vehicle seat that has a seatback that pivots between upright and stowed positions. A cargo floor extends rearward from the seat. A first panel pivotally couples with an upper portion of the seatback and pivots to a raised position away from the seatback in a forward stowed position. A second panel pivotally couples with the first panel and is pivotally deployable rearward to define a support surface together with the first panel that engages the cargo floor.